Long Beach Police searching for suspects in shooting of medical marijuana patient

LONG BEACH -- Homicide detectives will be canvassing the Hellman neighborhood on Saturday in the search for three suspects wanted in connection with a brazen midday shooting that left a 32-year-old Long Beach man paralyzed.

The Oct. 4 shooting might have been the result of a botched robbery after the victim left a local medical marijuana dispensary, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.

Though the victim is not a gang member, the shooter and the other suspects are believed to be in a gang or affiliated with a gang, police said.

The shooting occurred on Rose Avenue, just north of Seventh Street, at about 1:45 p.m. when the gunman got out of a small red car and opened fire on the victim, who was sitting in a blue car, police said.

A passenger in the victim's car was able to avoid being hit by gunfire when he bailed out of the victim's vehicle.

The victim, however, was struck in the upper body. Though he survived the shooting he was left paralyzed, Pratt said.

Long Beach Gang detectives have been investigating the shooting since last October and have exhausted all leads, prompting police to turn to the community for help, Pratt explained.

"They've run with everything they could, but they're kind of at a dead end now," Pratt said.

To help in the investigation, Homicide detectives and Police Explorers will canvass the neighborhood Friday afternoon, searching for possible witnesses and passing out fliers with descriptions of the suspects and their vehicle and a stock photo of a car similar to the car used in the crime.

The shooter is described as a male black, 25 to 29 years old. The driver of the suspects' vehicle was a female black, 19 to 21 years old. A third suspect who got into the suspects' vehicle as the victim walked out of the marijuana dispensary was described as a male black in his 20s, Pratt said.

"The descriptions are a little vague, but we're hoping that someone who was in the area at the time might have information that could aid in the investigation," Pratt said. "They might not know that they saw something significant â ¦ or this could jog their memory and they might recall seeing the car or the suspects."

Anyone with information is urged to call the Gang Enforcement Detail at 562-570-7370.